


Saturday Night Sendai

by renaissance



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Birthday, Ensemble Cast, Gen, Restaurants
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-10
Updated: 2014-11-10
Packaged: 2018-02-24 20:13:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2595002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/renaissance/pseuds/renaissance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two teams, one restaurant. What could possibly go wrong?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Saturday Night Sendai

**Author's Note:**

> > mfw I found out that two of my favourite Haikyuu!! characters share a birthday
> 
> As a general rule of thumb, every fandom needs more genfic, and I felt a mighty need to contribute to this infinite deficit with a bit of team bonding. Plus, putting all of Karasuno and Datekou in the same place at once means I get to imagine what it's like when characters who've never met get the chance to interact. Isn't fanfiction amazing?
> 
> (Fun fact: it appears Koganegawa and Sakunami have never been used in fic tags. What's up with that?!)
> 
> (Another fun fact: assuming Haikyuu!! is set in 2012, the 10th of November was indeed a Saturday. It's the little things that matter to me.)

Like most things that happen to Yamaguchi Tadashi, his sixteenth birthday is the sort of unfortunate conflagration of too many things at once and all of them going dreadfully wrong that he’s come to expect as part and parcel of hanging around the Karasuno volleyball club. And like most things that go wrong, it can all be traced back to Hinata.

It started with Hinata's weird friendship with that scary Date Tech blocker. Aone regularly sent Hinata blurry snapchats of flowers and small animals, and Hinata replied with shaky selfies and exuberant captions. Tadashi had occasionally been roped into the sidelines of some of Hinata's selfies, and some of those had doubtlessly gone to Aone, which was probably how Aone knew who he was when Hinata oh-so-casually told him “that’s Yamaguchi’s birthday too!”

They had just finished a practice match, and Hinata and Aone were chatting by the vending machines—Tadashi was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Aone fixed him with that scary look and narrowed his eyes.

“We should do something together this Saturday!” Hinata continued.

“T-that’s not necessary,” Tadashi said. Birthdays weren’t his strong suit—he’d barely even made it through Tsukki’s birthday, with Akiteru leaning across the table to joke that he ought to eat more cake if he wanted to catch up to the rest of the team—so there was no way he’d make it through his own birthday, least of all surrounded by all of Karasuno _and_ Date Tech.

“We'll invite the whole team,” Hinata said. Hinata was very good at ignoring Tadashi’s existence. “The whole of _both_ teams!”

Tadashi decided to change his tactic. “That sounds like a really nice way to celebrate Aone’s birthday," he said. “I hope you all have fun, but I won’t be—”

“Oh!” Hinata exclaimed. “It’s not Aone’s birthday, it's Futakuchi’s!”

Tadashi gulped. He’d never spoken to Date Tech’s captain, but the guy had a _reputation_. He was supposed to be a bit of an arsehole, and theoretically Tadashi had no trouble dealing with people like that—he got on so well with Tsukki, after all—but Futakuchi was a complete unknown. He could be genuinely _awful_.

And there was no _way_ he would agree to a joint birthday party with someone like that.

“We always go into Sendai for team birthdays,” Aone said. It was the most Tadashi had ever heard him speak at once. “We get meat.”

“Then it’s settled!” Hinata said. “The Great Yamaguchi-Futakuchi Sendai Meat Party, this Saturday night!”

“Their names end with the same character,” Aone said, almost thoughtfully.

“It’s _fate_ ,” Hinata said.

And that’s how Tadashi ends up on a train to Sendai with the rest of the volleyball club. They seem to have commandeered the entire carriage—Tanaka’s sprawled over two seats, and Nishinoya and Hinata are doing their best to take up as much space as their stature allows. Kageyama’s squeezed in next to Hinata with that look on his face like you can’t tell if he's a serial killer, or just someone who really wants to take a shit.

Tadashi is off to the side, trying to make himself as small as possible. That’s not hard, given that he’s sitting next to Tsukki.

“You’re nervous,” Tsukki comments.

“You’re very observant,” Tadashi replies, laughing a bit awkwardly.

Tsukki sighs. “If it makes you feel any better, I want to be here even less than you do.”

Of course—Tsukki doesn’t eat meat. He’s been getting by without anyone noticing so far, but being in a restaurant that specialises in meat might make it a bit obvious. Tadashi knows that Tsukki’s counting on his relative ignorability to get him through the evening.

“Just don’t talk to anyone and you’ll be fine,” Tsukki adds.

Tadashi can’t tell if Tsukki’s joking or not, but Sugawara picks up on what they’re discussing, and he leans over the seat back.

“I know sometimes this sort of thing can be daunting,” he says, “but, Yamaguchi, it’s your birthday! Please don’t worry about anything. We’re all here to have fun.”

“And you _don’t_ have to talk to the Date Tech team if you don't want to,” Tsukki repeats.

Sawamura turns around too. “You should try to socialise a bit, though,” he says. “You’re sixteen! You’re allowed to celebrate.”

Sixteen, and doesn't he know it. Tadashi’s parents had invited the whole extended family over for lunch, but he's an only child with no cousins living nearby, so it was just a bunch of old people talking about why they’d been to the doctor’s that week and asking him which business school he wants to go to after he graduates from high school. He’d tried mentioning that, actually, he sort of wants to study physics, but he’d been drowned out by a great aunt complaining about her knee. And Tsukki had only made it for the latter half of lunch, so by then the damage was done.

It didn’t feel much like a birthday was supposed to feel.

Tsukki clears his throat. “Or you can just get some food and go home,” he mutters.

That was the plan—get some food and go home. Nothing ever goes to plan, though, Tadashi thinks, as Hinata grabs his wrist and drags him off the train.

“This is going to be the best!” Hinata shouts. He thinks everything is the best, though. He thinks Tsukki’s Jurassic Park ringtone is the best. He thinks Kageyama’s scary tosses are the best. He even thinks that Aone is the best.

“You’re not exactly a discerning customer,” Tsukki says, echoing Tadashi’s thoughts.

“Look!” Nishinoya calls out, before Hinata can reply. “There’s Datekou!”

The other team is waiting just outside the station, and the only reason Tadashi could possibly recognise them is by Aone’s height—they’re all out of uniform, and it’s weird to think about spending time with a rival team so casually. Futakuchi steps forward, and it takes a moment for Tadashi to realise that he’s headed in his direction.

“So you’re my birthday buddy, huh?” Futakuchi asks.

Tadashi opens his mouth to respond, but just ends up coughing. “Uh,” he says.

Futakuchi laughs. “Cat got your tongue? No, wait, don’t answer that. What’s your name again?”

“Y-yamaguchi Tadashi…”

“Yamaguchi,” he repeats. “Well, you probably know who I am.”

“Let’s get to the restaurant, already,” one of the Date Tech members says. It occurs to Tadashi that he doesn’t actually know any of their names apart from Aone and Futakuchi. This is going to be the worst birthday party ever.

Tadashi lingers at the edge of the crowd as they walk to the restaurant. He takes a little bit of comfort in the fact that he isn’t the only one who looks uneasy. Date Tech’s libero seems sort of shy, compared to the rest of his team, and Narita and Kinoshita are never quite at ease in a crowd, even when Ennoshita’s doing a valiant job of making conversation with Date Tech’s former captain.

In the restaurant, though, they sit in two distinct groups. The lot of them take up most of the first floor—Hinata makes a great show of pointing out that they wouldn't have made it at all if he hadn’t booked beforehand—and the waiters don’t look all too pleased with the amount of noise they’re making. Well, with almost thirty teenage boys in one place, what did they expect?

“Let’s just leave now and get cake,” Tsukki says quietly.

“Don’t you dare,” Hinata interrupts.

Tsukki’s glare could wilt flowers.

Thankfully, a waiter passes out menus, and Hinata’s attention is elsewhere. “Everything looks so good!” he wails.

“We should get one of everything,” Tanaka says sagely. “Just in case.”

“Absolutely not,” Sawamura says.

“Aw, come on,” Tanaka says, “we don’t have practice tomorrow—”

“No, he’s right,” Date Tech’s former captain says. “This time last year, at a different restaurant, Kamasaki ordered one of everything, and you know where it ended up?”

“Moniwa, don’t,” someone says—presumably Kamasaki.

“In a hydrangea bush,” Moniwa finishes, ignoring Kamasaki, and a few of the other Date Tech members cover their mouths to laugh.

“Well,” Futakuchi says evenly, “if we get one of everything, we can share it around. There are a lot of us, so what’s the harm?”

Kamasaki gives him a murderous look. “Didn’t you hear your captain, huh?”

Futakuchi’s eyes go wide, and he gets a sort of disbelieving smile on his face. “One, we’re not at school; two, he’s not even captain anymore! _I’m_ captain!”

“I’m sorry,” Moniwa says, leaning across to address the Karasuno contingent. “He’s very childish.”

Sawamura gives Moniwa a strange look. Tadashi wonders if he regrets the arrangement too.

A waiter comes to the table to take their orders, and Hinata looks him square in the eye. “We’ll have one of everything,” he says, almost menacingly.

Tanaka looks so proud.

Once the waiter’s gone, Date Tech dissolve into chatter amongst themselves, and Karasuno turns inwards too. It’s certainly a lot easier than having to talk to the others for Tadashi—apart from Futakuchi and Aone, there’s a terrifyingly tall first year who seems kind of scary, and Kamasaki doesn’t look too pleasant either.

Tadashi’s happy where he is, sandwiched between Tsukki and Ennoshita—of everyone on the team, he gets on with them the best. Ennoshita’s talking to Kinoshita and Narita, and Tsukki just isn’t talking, which is always a relief. Tadashi pulls out his phone to distract himself—there’s a text sitting there from Yachi.

 _Happy birthday Yamaguchi-san! Sorry I couldn’t come out tonight but I hope you’re having fun!!!_ ☆★☆★☆

Yachi probably isn’t _actually_ sorry—as soon as she’d found out that Shimizu wasn’t coming, because she had a family event to go to, she had furiously switched her “Yes” to a “Maybe”—that’s Facebook for “I am terrified by the very prospect.”

Tadashi doesn’t blame her. He sends a quick text back:

 _You’re not missing anything…_ （／_＼）

He’s glad no-one sees him texting, because Hinata’s somehow content to be sitting next to Tsukki, making him dangerously close, and Hinata is the Fun Police: if you’re not having fun, he will _make you have fun_.

It doesn’t take long for the food to start arriving, and since there’s one of everything, it’s luck of the draw what ends up in front of Tadashi. He’s feeling a bit too queasy to eat, anyway. It’s almost comforting to see that some of the Date Tech members eat just as voraciously as Tanaka and Nishinoya, who’re already half-way through the plates in front of them, and that others look just as grossed out as Tadashi feels. The Date Tech libero is quietly picking away at a plate of pork, occasionally glancing at the upperclassmen with a look of sheer horror in his eyes.

“Hey, mind if I barge in?”

Tadashi looks up from his phone to see that Futakuchi has bodily dragged his chair from the other side of the table and, refusing to even _consider_ taking no for an answer, is shoving it between Tadashi and Ennoshita.

“Uh, yes?” Ennoshita says.

“Great,” Futakuchi says, missing the point by a mile, “‘cause I want some of this steak.”

Ennoshita gives him a look but doesn’t say anything, and turns back to his conversation.

“Ah, Yamaguchi,” Futakuchi says, mouth full of food, “you’re pretty shy, huh?”

Tadashi blinks a few times before he can respond. “Uh… ?”

“I thought this would be a good opportunity to do some inter-team bonding,” Futakuchi says, “since the grilled steak was over here. But you’re shy.”

“Just because I’m shy, doesn’t mean I can’t have a conversation,” Tadashi says defensively, although really he’d rather _not_ have a conversation with Futakuchi, especially not while he’s talking with food in his mouth.

“Good point,” Futakuchi says. “Okay, let’s talk about why you’re shy.”

Tadashi frowns. Who does this guy think he is, suggesting something so personal? “I’d rather not,” he says.

“If you don’t talk about it, you’ll never become more confident,” Futakuchi says. “Aone used to be shy. Look at him now!”

Somehow, Tadashi doubts that.

“What sort of things do you like?” Futakuchi tries. “Talking about things that you like is a good way to—”

“Hey,” Tsukki interrupts. “Stop bothering him.”

Tadashi sighs gratefully, but Futakuchi isn’t so easily deterred.

“I’m not _bothering_ you, right, Yamaguchi?”

“Sort of,” Tadashi says.

“Cool,” Futakuchi says. “Hey, your friend—Tsukishima, right?—he’s kinda rude. What’s up with that?”

“He’s not rude,” Tadashi says. “You shouldn’t say stuff like that.”

“He _is_ ,” Futakuchi says, “and I bet you’re rude too. Am I right?”

“No!” Tadashi says, feeling a bit more flustered than he ought to be. Futakuchi isn’t quite as awful as Tadashi had feared, but he’s a very unique sort of annoying. Tadashi wishes he’d just pick up his chair and leave.

Futakuchi hums to himself. “So, if I told you that your angry setter’s shirt looks like something his grandmother bought for him, you wouldn’t even crack a smile?”

Tadashi’s jaw drops. “Absolutely not!” he says, even though Futakuchi is sort of right—Kageyama really wasn’t blessed with a sense of style.

“How about your libero’s hair?” Futakuchi presses. “Hello, 1980 calling—”

Tadashi shakes his head. He’s _this close_ to giggling, and he does _not_ want to concede defeat to Futakuchi, of all people.

“And I haven’t even started on Jesus over there,” Futakuchi adds, gesturing to Azumane.

Tadashi can’t help it—he lets a laugh escape his mouth, and covers it quickly with his hands.

“Knew it!” Futakuchi says.

“Don’t you think you’ve had your fun,” Tsukki says flatly.

“You’re right,” Futakuchi says. “Sorry. I only really came here for the grilled steak.”

Tadashi’s relieved but baffled, and a little bit embarrassed that, like always, it only ended because Tsukki stepped in.

Futakuchi turns his head and locks on to Ennoshita. “Hey, speaking of inter-team bonding, what’s _your_ name?”

“Ugh,” Tsukki says. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Tadashi says. He watches as Tsukki’s eyes narrow. “Honestly, Tsukki, I’m fine.”

“Hm.”

Tsukki looks like he might be able to say more, but there’s a loud disturbance down the other end of the table. Nishinoya—who else—seems to have accidentally flung a piece of chicken at the scary Date Tech first year, who is absolutely _fuming_.

“Calm down, Koganegawa,” Futakuchi calls across the table.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” Ennoshita says, pulling away from the table.

Nishinoya’s laughing too hard to say anything, and Sugawara looks like he’s on the verge of apologising on Nishinoya’s behalf when Koganegawa picks up a piece of beef with his chopsticks and flings it at Nishinoya.

It lands on Tanaka’s nose.

Tanaka’s eyes bulge and he gets a frightening smile on his face. “ _Food fight_ ,” he whispers.

Tadashi can hardly keep track after that— there's way too much happening at once. Tanaka throws something at Koganegawa, and Koganegawa and a couple of other Date Tech members start throwing things back. Hinata joins in for the fun of it, chucking a chunk of pork at Aone. It’s like Aone’s only getting involved out of obligation, but he throws back the same bit of pork, hitting Kageyama by mistake. And once Kageyama starts tossing, there’s no room for error.

Sawamura looks like he’s going to have a heart attack, and Sugawara looks like he’s torn between laughing and crying. Azumane ducks under the table.

Tadashi’s as far back in his seat as he can manage, and he risks a glance at Tsukki, who is dangerously indifferent to the entire affair. But Tadashi is still next to Futakuchi, and when Tanaka ups the ante and aims an ox tongue at Futakuchi, it hits Tadashi right between his eyes.

“That’s it,” Tsukki hisses, splitting his unused chopsticks like he means business. He picks up the last piece of grilled steak and flings it right at Tanaka.

Tadashi can feel tears rolling down his cheeks. “D-disgusting,” he chokes out, reaching up with his chopsticks and peeling the ox tongue off the bridge of his nose.

“ _People_ are disgusting,” Tsukki says.

“But Tsukki,” Tadashi says, “you threw something too.”

“That was revenge,” Tsukki says—just as a piece of chicken comes flying and hits his glasses. Tsukki catches the chicken before it can slide onto his clothes and looks down the table with a scowl. “This is also revenge.”

Tadashi feels oddly heartened that Tsukki got into a food fight all to defend his honour, but there’s no way he’s getting himself involved too. He looks over his shoulder and sees Ennoshita coming back from the bathroom.

“I wish I could be surprised,” Ennoshita says.

Behind Ennoshita, a waiter comes rushing up the stairs from the ground floor. “Out! All of you! _Now_!”

The atmosphere stills.

Tanaka is paused mid-throw, and an ox tongue falls out of his fingers and hits the table with a _plop_ to break the silence.

“We should leave,” Sugawara says quietly.

Azumane emerges from under the table, and slowly they all pick up their bags and head down the stairs. It’s a bit like the life has been sucked out of the party.

“Hey,” someone from Date Tech asks, “who’s paying?”

“I’ve got my card here, so I’ll foot the bill,” Sawamura says. “And you’re all paying me back with interest.”

While he pays, with Sugawara by his side apologising profusely to the manager, the rest of them wait out on the street. It’s a cold night and a busy street, so they crowd close together to share heat and avoid passers-by.

“Well, that was shit,” Tsukki says. “Yamaguchi, let’s get cake on the way home.”

“Yeah,” Tadashi says. “You must be hungry.”

“Did you eat anything either?” Tsukki asks.

Tadashi has to stop and think. “N-no, I don’t think I did…”

Tsukki frowns. “I’ll buy you cake. Consider it a birthday present.”

Tadashi laughs, and Tsukki frowns harder. It’s silly, because Tsukki already gave him a present at lunch. Tadashi thinks he’ll probably just try to pay without Tsukki noticing.

“Okay,” Sawamura says, announcing his return, “it’s all cleared up. They don’t want to see us back ever again, though.”

“That’s alright,” Futakuchi says loudly. “There are plenty of restaurants in Sendai.”

They set off back to the train station, and Tadashi feels like he’s falling asleep on his feet. It’s not even that late yet, but so much has happened since they got to Sendai. All Tadashi really wants is to get some cake, and then to go home and sleep for twelve hours.

“Aone!” Hinata shouts, startling a bird off the pavement. “Let me ride on your shoulders!”

Aone doesn’t question this at all, which is probably the strangest part, and crouches down to let Hinata climb onto him. “Alright!” Hinata says. “I’m a giant! Let’s race!”

Nishinoya disapproves. “Asahi-san!” he says. “We can’t let them win!”

Azumane doesn’t look too enthused about this—in fact, he looks downright queasy—but he lets Nishinoya onto his shoulders anyway, and Nishinoya spurs him onwards.

“Ah!” Futakuchi exclaims. “I want in on this! Sakunami!”

Sakunami, the short libero, becomes even smaller, shrinking behind his own personal Iron Wall. Futakuchi looks personally offended, but he gives up on Sakunami and peels off to pester Ennoshita, who has apparently become his new target.

“Yamaguchi.”

Tadashi looks up. “Yes, Tsukki?”

Tsukki isn’t looking at him; his eyes are locked on Aone and Hinata, Azumane and Nishinoya. “It’s your birthday,” he says. “We can’t let them win on your birthday.”

“How—” Tadashi begins, but then Tsukki is bending forward.

“Don’t make me repeat myself,” Tsukki says.

Tadashi feels powerful on Tsukki’s shoulders—this is probably how Aone feels _all_ the time. Tsukki’s a bit unsteady at first, but they gain pace, catching up to Azumane and Nishinoya.

“I’m not going to let you win just because it’s your birthday!” Nishinoya calls across, and Tadashi laughs, toppling slightly forwards.

“Careful,” Tsukki warns.

“People are starting to give us weird looks,” Azumane says.

“So?” Nishinoya asks, and while they slow down to debate the pros and cons of shoulder ride races in public, Tsukki quickens his pace and overtakes them.

Now it’s only Hinata and Aone ahead—Aone’s too fast, though, and they make it to the station first. Hinata throws his hands in the air and screeches. “We won!”

Tadashi and Tsukki catch up them. Tsukki lets Tadashi down, and he feels dizzy, gripping Tsukki’s arm so that he doesn’t fall over.

The rest of the the crowd follows soon after—Azumane has given up completely and walks in at a normal pace, with Nishinoya, still on his shoulders, looking agitated.

“That was… that could have gone worse,” Sawamura says to Moniwa, as though they’re captains congratulating each other after a match.

“You lot aren’t so bad off the court,” Moniwa concedes.

Futakuchi claps a hand on Tadashi’s shoulder. “Yamaguchi! Let’s trade phone numbers!”

Tadashi looks to Tsukki—it’s his default response, like he’s asking for approval—and Tsukki raises an eyebrow in acquiescence. “Sure,” Tadashi says, fishing for his phone in his pocket. He and Futakuchi swap phones and punch in their numbers.

“Great,” Futakuchi says, “now Ennoshita has no excuse. Hey, Ennoshita!”

Futakuchi dashes off, and Tadashi sighs. “He’s not really interested in talking to me.”

“Why do you care?” Tsukki asks.

“I don’t, really,” Tadashi says. “But he wasn’t so bad.”

Distraction arrives in the form of Hinata, grabbing Tadashi by the arm. “Yamaguchi! Happy birthday!”

“You’ve said that already,” Tadashi says, laughing slightly.

“ _Everyone_ should say it again,” Hinata says.

Kageyama appears suddenly at Hinata’s side—how does he _do_ that?—and looks like he’s about to cough up a hairball. “Ha-happy birthday…”

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YAMAGUCHI!” Nishinoya yells, flinging himself onto Hinata’s back and reaching over his shoulders to ruffle Tadashi’s hair.

Tadashi shrinks back, but Nishinoya is enough to draw attention to any situation, and within seconds, the rest of the Karasuno volleyball club are crowding him. It’s like a team huddle, but with less of the usual tension—in fact, knowing that he has so many friends with him on his birthday is strangely reassuring, and Tadashi’s mouth moves into a smile before he fully realises why.

“Yeah,” Tsukki says under his breath, “happy birthday.”

“Thanks,” Tadashi stutters.

Sure, they’re yelling and causing a scene in public, and half of them are covered in food stains, but the volleyball club aren’t so bad. And maybe this hasn't been such a disaster—after all, Tadashi wouldn't have wanted to spend his birthday with anyone else.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! C:


End file.
